Publisher: BBC Books
Copyright: 2013
ISBN: 9781849906517
This book is the history of detective fiction, from its possible inception with the Ratcliffe Highway Murders in Regency England (1811) and how this essentially inspired both the public's love of mystery stories, a series of inspirational mystery authors, and subsequently the mystery genre.
In the first part, Ms. Worsley goes on to discuss the establishment of the police forces in England, how the Ratcliffe Murder scene was treated by both the public and those trying to solve the murder. The influence various executions etc. had on a French woman who brought her skills and exhibition to England as Madame Tussaud, which is still a fixture in modern day London. In closing out the first part of this book she also describes true crime, Charles Dickens as a crime writer, the murder of Maria Martin in 1828 and the major influence is it had both in the genre as well as on the stage, and the weather is spectacular Bermondsey horror which involved a love triangle amongst other things.
The second part of the book deals primarily with the establishment of the detective novel, and its love by readers. She also deals in this section with the establishment establishment of forensic sciences, the appearance of the lady detective. The third section of this book is entitled the golden age, and deals with the various authors who became quite famous in there production of numerous mystery stories such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Edgar Wallace, Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton, Ngaio Marsh.
This is an excellent book that gives a thorough history of detective fiction, and should be an inspiration to anyone looking to write in the detective/mystery genre.
A great read and very informative.
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